Conservative Politicians and Consultants Still Not Awake to the Reality of the Information War

From the archives — from August 2016:

The liberal media’s hostile deluge aimed at presidential candidate Donald Trump, and as a result, down-ballot Republicans, is rising to record levels much like the flooding taking place in Louisiana. But unlike the flooding in Louisiana, conservatives and especially big conservative donors, have had plenty of time to prepare — and they haven’t.

What’s happening in this general election is not some act of God that leaves poor little mankind helpless. It’s merely a larger example of what has been going on for decades. Anyone who blames Trump for this is, may I say, incredibly foolish and blind to reality. Does anyone think any of the other GOP candidates facing Hillary (you know, the first liberal woman presidential candidate) would’ve fared better? Anyone thinking that merely proves my point made over and over again that many (if not most) Republicans and conservatives continue to be completely clueless when it comes to the information war.

What can be done when the media narrative is nearly 100 percent against your candidate? The most foolish thing to do is to hire the same political consultants to execute the same failed strategy as they always have. And that is? Spending a ton of money on TV ads (which fund, thank you very much, liberal media networks), radio ads (ditto), and campaign mailers that find their way to the trash faster than those envelopes of coupons containing deals from local businesses.

What should be done instead? Well first, it’s not a six-week or six month deal. Many conservatives might need to get eye surgery so they can see what’s right in front of them. Yo, conservative politicians and consultants! Observe what the liberals have been doing for decades — they fight on all battlefields and dominate every institution that conveys information to the public: media, pop culture, and the K-college school systems. The pathetic cookie-cutter political campaign has no chance to overcome that flood.

Yet every election cycle the conservatives spend more on the same failed tactics sold by those oh-so-experienced and slick campaign consultants. Oh, and by the way, those failed tactics are preferred by the consultants precisely because that’s how those consultants make their money.

Here is some good news: because of the force of Donald Trump’s personality, Republicans still have a chance to make this a winning year. My guess is that none of other candidates would’ve had a chance, since they are either incapable of appealing to a national audience (like Ted Cruz) or unwilling to fight back (like Jeb Bush).

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“If by the liberty of the press were understood merely the liberty of discussing the propriety of public measures and political opinions, let us have as much of it as you please: But if it means the liberty of affronting, calumniating and defaming one another, I, for my part, own myself willing to part with my share of it.” —Benjamin Franklin (1789)